Warriors: Thunder
by julia.skidmore
Summary: Please note that this is not an actual part of the Warriors series. This is a fanfiction about what happened when the elders, (Frostfur, Speckletail, Loudbelly, and Shadepelt.) decided to believe rumors about another set of clans- of Leopards.


I'm starting at a cliffhanger!

Sandstorm nodded and walked away.

"Did you tell her?" Loudbelly asked.

"Of course!"

"Do you think she will tell anyone?"

"No, she is my best friend, and a quiet cat." Speckletail stated.

"Are you sure about this? We can't travel there, so how are we going to travel anywhere?" Frostfur asked.

"Why are you asking? This was your idea, Frostfur." Shadepelt remarked curtly.

She ignored the Dustpelt-like attitude and set off. Maybe Barely was right. Maybe

They marched through the forest, heading to Barley's to stay. Frostfur knew her friend's brittle bones could not last much longer - she had just joined the elders and barely knew this state of life- she felt out of place, she wasn't even old! The only reason she had joined was because a few moons ago, she was out on patrol and spotted a fox, and she had told Brambleclaw- Bramble _paw_ at the time, Thornclaw, and Graystripe to go get help, since the camp wasn't far, but as soon as she did that the fox spotted her she didn't have time to position her haunches to spring, and the fox clawed her eyes, luckily Graystripe got back with Thornclaw, Bramblepaw soon behind. She had not been injured that bad, but her right eye had turned blurry permanently, and Cinderpelt said it was incurable. She knew that she could not fight well enough since she couldn't see that well enough, she would not be useful. She joined the elders so she didn't have to be worried about. Now she might even travel farther than the sun-drown place, and she risked losing her friends. As she walked, she made sure to avoid the Larkspur, reminding her of her surroundings. She took in the whole picture like it was a photograph. Would the clans ever find a place this beautiful, with Hepatica blooming like clovers, and Gunnera making perfect places for the kits to play? Why would the twolegs want to destroy this? This thought of that all to Barley's place, the wind ruffling her fur the wrong way, leaves falling into her face, gray skies blanketed by trees, bramble thickets for prey to hide in, she realized this was all precious. No wonder it was hard for all the clans to leave.

Barley greeted her warmly in spite of surprise. Shadepelt was the one who told him the plan. He agreed with the rumors with a tang of frustration in his voice. Shadepelt dropped the topic, sensing his anger.

Frostfur crouched down, her eyes wide with focus, and her haunches stiff with tension. She focused on the gray mouse- almost stifling a yawn of boredom from stalking. She wasn't sure she should move forward, she could make it if she pounced from here, she could even sight every single hair on its tiny pelt, and hear its consistent heartbeat. She pressed her belly even lower, feeling as if her hairs were tiny paws, feeling every crumble of dirt beneath her. She lifted her haunches up higher than normal, she had to spring farther. She looked intensely at the mouse, watching it move close to her, still in range of her left eye- thank Starclan. She got ready to dart around the Crocus she was hiding behind. She tensed, and caught it in two brisk motions, she paw four pawsteps around the flowers, and sprang about three tail-lengths and bit the mouse, that died instantly.

Barley remembered the last time he had seen the other clan cats. They had acted suspicious, like they were hiding something that was concerning them, and Barley has asked them what it was and they ignored him like he was a helpless kit pestering them! He was worried about the plan. They came around this time, and this would be visit after them acting suspicious. He knew Frostfur and the elders planned to ask to join their clans, so they would have somewhere to live, and raise Frostfur's unborn kits, that she had mated with a rogue for this sole purpose. He knew that he would confront the other cats about knowing the forest would be destroyed- after all, they came and said that something was going to happen, but after long he pushed it to the back of his mind.

He realized that that he had not taken a single bite of the plump vole Frostfur had brought him, and that if he waited any longer it might seem rude, and he didn't want to seem rude, he wanted to ask Frostfur a favor- he wanted to get better at catching his own food- maybe he would impress his twolegs, they knew nothing about the qualities of cats!

He ate a few juicy bites and padded on to Frostfur.

"Hey, Frostfur?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you teach me to hunt better?" He realized he was making himself look like a bad hunter. "Prey is going to be scarce, since there is more twoleg activity in the forest, so I need to be better at catching prey, instead of the dry food that they give me.

"Oh. Sure."

She got up, stretched, and strolled out of the barn like she was care-free and half asleep. Barley did the same, not sure if it mattered if he stretched or not. Loudbelly woke from his brief nap as Barely was heading out the side of the barn where there wasn't a wall, following Frostfur. "Where are you going?" "Frostfur is going to train me a bit." Barley answered. "Uh, ok." Loudbelly replied. The sentence reminded him of an apprentice boasting about their training in camp, making him homesick already.

"Tense all your muscles, and focus on every fiber of your surroundings, and keep your paws light. Focus on the pawsteps you will take to get the rabbit. Believe the fact that you will do anything to get that rabbit."

Barley dashed forward and caught the rabbit in one swipe of his surprisingly powerful claws. Almost like, a warrior . . .


End file.
